Page:Sharad Joshi - Leading Farmers to the Centre Stage.pdf/56

 number was 3C and that of Der Hovesepian was 3D. Both were on ground floor, adjacent to each other. Out of his eight years in Switzerland Joshi lived in that flat for seven. Talking of his memories of working together Tony recalled, ‘Sharad joined in 1968. He was very intelligent and able. We were both Secretaries and had work cabins next to each other. From the first day we started calling each other by our first name. I had purchased a flat in a nearby village, called Neuenegg. Soon Sharad also bought a flat in the same building. Our office was barely 15 minutes away. We would often commute together while going to our office and while we went home during the lunch breaks — sometimes we would use my car and sometimes his. ‘We had the Staff Association which was run by a committee. Joshi was very active member of the Association and wanted to become a member of the Committee. When elections were held for the Committee Joshi and I got equal number of votes. So elections were held again. In the second round I got 49 and Joshi 51; he won because I casted my vote for him! ‘During lunch breaks we used to play Table Tennis with four good players; Joshi, me, a Swiss colleague and a Russian. I used to play almost every day at noon break with Joshi and sometimes, the other two used to join. Once a year we used to organize a formal competition with an IB cup to be given to the winner. On one occasion, the Swiss colleague beat me. Sharad was very disappointed and wondered, “How this old man could beat you!” In 1974, during the Universal Postal Congress of the UPU in Lausanne, Sharad organized a Table Tennis contest between the Chinese Delegation and the IB players. Those were the days when Kissinger was visiting China and so-called ping pong diplomacy was much talked about. We naturally wanted to win but the Chinese were unbeatable devils! Sharad was annoyed; he never liked to lose. Years in Switzerland

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